


The Naked Time

by DeathByStorm



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All Shiros are Beautiful, Based on the Star Trek TOS Episode The Naked Time, Crack, Don't do drugs even accidentally, M/M, Rarepair, What timelines?, be the change you want to see in the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:45:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/pseuds/DeathByStorm
Summary: While on a mission to pick up stranded scientists, Shiro is exposed to a pathogen that makes him act rather odd. Chaos ensues.





	The Naked Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/gifts).



> For Eilera, who has wanted to see a fic of this pairing. Happy Birthday!
> 
> Beta'd by Eilera. All remaining mistakes are my own.

“We're approaching the Zeta 9,” Shiro said. “Black doesn't report any life signs on the planet's surface and our calls haven't gone through. Are you sure this is the right place?”

“Hmm,” Allura looked thoughtful from the screen beside him. “Lotor, is this the right place?”

“Yes. I'm absolutely sure of it,” Lotor said from his own separate communication window. “The planet is known for its dramatic variations in atmospheric conditions. Take a closer look if you please, Black Paladin. We need those scientists.”

“Uh sure,” Shiro said.

“Ah my apologies,” Lotor put his hand to his chest and bowed. “Black Paladins. We can't forget about Kuro, can we?”

Shiro suppressed a sigh. He could feel Kuro's grip tighten on the headrest. “We'll take a closer look. How long until the planet implodes?”

“Two hours,” Pidge said popping up on the screen. “You'll need to be quick. I've sent you the coordinates for the research station.”

“Thanks, Pidge,” Shiro said. “We'll probably be out of range for the next little bit so we'll talk to you later.”

“Stay safe,” Allura said. “We'll give you one Varga.”

“We'll be out of here long before that,” Shiro said. “Later, everyone.”

He closed the window and looked up at Kuro, who smiled back at him. “Shall we?”

*

The lab on the surface was absolutely trashed.

“What on Earth?” Kuro said.

“Something went wrong here,” Shiro said.

The outpost had looked completely pristine on the outside. The inside was a different story. Lights dangled from the ceiling by their wires. Along the walls, there were deep scratches with some of them punching right through to the inner circuitry. Shiro and Kuro both activated their Galra hands.

“After you?” Shiro said.

“Pfft, age before beauty,” Kuro said with a grand gesture.

Shiro snorted and closed his helmet. Beside him Kuro did the same. They ventured deeper in companionable silence. Along the hall, doors were wrenched half open. Inside, the rooms were also torn apart as if a raging beast had had its way with them. As they went, splashes of old blood were visible among the wreckage. A thin layer of dust lay on everything.

“I don't think anyone is left here,” Kuro said.

“We should still check and see if we can account for any of them.”

“Hello?” Kuro said. “Is anyone left alive in here?”  
  
His voice echoed around them which made Shiro's hair stand on end. Shiro felt a shiver travel up his spine.

“Are you alright?”

“I'm fine,” Shiro said.

Shiro looked back at him and Kuro smiled at him. He clapped Shiro on the shoulder as he went by. Shiro did his level best to ignore the warmth generated by the touch. He watched as Kuro slowly picked his way through the wreckage ahead. Was it wrong to be attracted to your own clone? Kuro had many of the same memories as Shiro did. In the months following Shiro's rescue, it had made them automatic confidantes much to the chagrin of the team at the time. They'd become close. Closer than Shiro had ever imagined that they could be.

“Ouch!” Shiro clapped his hand to the side of his knee. A jagged piece of metal from a pile of debris had managed to slip through the one of the chinks in his armour. He smiled ruefully. That was what he got for getting lost in thought.

“Shiro, are you okay?” Kuro asked. He rushed over to Shiro's side and knelt down. He gently brushed the torn fabric aside to get a look at the wound.

“I'm fine. It's just a scratch,” Shiro said. True to his word, the wound bled sluggishly. He helped Kuro to his feet. “Let's just finish the sweep. We'll have to go through decontamination when we get back anyway.”

“Well, just so no one hits it on the way back,” Kuro grabbed the shredded piece of metal with his Galra hand and carefully bent it in on itself before continuing forward.

They found the first two bodies in the main lab. The Galra were lying supine on the floor facing each other with their hands clasped together. Their foreheads were touching like they'd died sharing a tender moment. Time had left them desiccated. Around them were smashed test tubes and flasks that Shiro took care not to touch. In a few places, the contents of them had burned through the tables that they were on. The databanks along the wall looked as if someone had taken a baseball bat and smashed them to pieces.

Shiro crouched down beside one of them. He reached out and carefully moved the dead Galra's neck to the side to make sure before saying. “They're untouched.”

“This is really weird,” Kuro said. “It's like they laid down and just gave up.”

“We have a couple more rooms to check and two more to find,” Shiro said. “Let's get out of this place.”

Kuro hummed in agreement and they quickly headed to the mess hall.

“Um,” Kuro said.

“Yeah.”

The walls were painted in bloody, repeating Galran script. In the corner lay one of the missing bodies. It was clear from the paintbrush lying beside him and the slashes on the Galran's wrists that he'd opened up his own veins and decorated the walls in his blood.

“Victory or death.” Kuro said. He groaned “This is gonna give me more nightmares. Well, more nightmares at least."

“Me too."

“One more,” Kuro said. “Probably our maniac.”

They found the last victim in the latrines. There were gouges in the wall here too, and it was clear that these hadn't been made by Galran claws. There was a piece of broken pipe beside the body that looked about the right size as well as an empty beaker. Shiro crouched down to take a look at him only to find himself holding back a gasp. The bones of the Galra's fingers were bare and mangled unlike the rest of his body. Scattered around his fingers were bits of blood and dried tissue.

“That's the last of them,” Shiro said. The cut on his leg was starting to itch something fierce.

“It's too bad,” Kuro said. “We can't take them back to their families.”

“No. But they'll know what happened at least,” Shiro said. “We should get out of here.”

“No arguing with you there,” Kuro said.

They headed back to Black, who crouched down and opened his mouth immediately for them. Shiro stopped and took one last look at the lab.

“Shiro?” 

“Coming."

The ramp closed behind them. Shiro leaned back on his seat as he flew away doing his best to put it out of his mind.

*

“Where are the scientists?” Lotor said after they got out of decontamination. They were standing on the bridge for debriefing. Lotor was on the screen above them with his mouth pressed in a thin line.

“Dead,” Shiro glanced around at the expectant eyes of his teammates. “All of them and for quite a while too.”

Lotor frowned. “It's too bad. They were supposed to be one of the best resources for quintessence in the quadrant. I supposed it can't be helped Were you able to at least get their databanks?”

“Everything was destroyed,” Kuro said. “The databanks were pulverized.”

“What happened down there?” Allura asked.

Shiro shrugged helplessly. “Some kind of space madness? We think that at least two of them killed themselves either accidentally or on purpose and the other two seemed to have just laid down together and given up. I'm don't think I need to go into more detail than that.”

“Oh my,” Allura said. “It certainly does sound like a type of madness. The others will be back from their missions soon. Perhaps you should get some rest in the meantime.”

A strong itch was creeping along under his skin and Shiro squirmed in place as he fought the urge to scratch it. Despite the decontamination that he'd gone through with Kuro and the Altean salve that had completely healed his wound, the skin where the wound had been felt like it was on fire.

“Shiro, are you okay?”

“I'm fine, Allura,” Shiro said. “Coran, are you sure that nothing can survive those decontamination chambers?”

“They may be old, but they are a bio-rinse technology combined with a scanner that will detect anything abnormal in the body and destroy it,” Coran said. “They wouldn't miss a glaradon in a pile of draslax.”

“Maybe it's all in my head. I'm gonna take a shower, just in case,” Shiro said. “I'll see you guys later.”

Later that night, there was a knock on Shiro's door. He opened it, still toweling his hair dry. He felt a little better, but he still felt off.

“Takashi?” Kuro was standing there looking edible in a loose shirt and boxers. “I don't think I'll be able to sleep alone tonight.”

“Neither do I. My skin's still crawling,” Shiro said. He automatically stepped aside to let Kuro in.

Kuro immediately flopped on Shiro's bed and took the side nearest to the wall. He burrowed himself under the covers and waited while Shiro threw his towel in the recycler to be washed. He clambered into bed beside Kuro and lay back down. The sound of Kuro's breathing soothed the hammering of his own heart and he began to relax.

“Night, Shiro,” Kuro said. He snuggled in as closely as he dared which was just a few inches away from where Shiro lay. Shiro wanted to beckon him closer, but the words got stuck in his throat. He wanted to bridge the gap himself, but didn't dare. Instead he just brushed his hand down Kuro's arm.

“Night, Kuro,” 

Kuro immediately began to scratch at the spot that Shiro had touched, but Shiro barely noticed. He was already dead to the world.

*

The beeping of the alarm brought Shiro back to consciousness. He groaned, clenched his metal hand, and brought it down with all the force he could possibly muster. The beeping stopped and the nightstand that had held the alarm collapsed.

“Whoops,” Shiro said. He giggled. The itching from the night before was gone and in its place was an odd euphoria. “I feel fantastic. Hey Kuro, I feel awesome!”

He rolled over, but the side that Kuro had slept was cold. “Damn.”

The disappointment was so strong, that he began to tear up. He rubbed his eyes and then brightened when a thought occurred to him. “I know! I just have to go find him!”

At once, he sprung from the bed intent on heading out the door. A gleam out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and took a moment to admire himself in the mirror. Who was this vision of beauty? Oh, it was him. He gave the mirror a smoldering look. How could anyone resist this bod?

“Meow you sexy beast,” Shiro admired his reflection and flexed his muscles. For good measure, he smacked his butt to feel its firmness. “I definitely got the goods.”

There was some frantic knocking on the door. “Kuro, I've told you this before! I need at least an hour of flexing in the morning!”

In the back of his head, Shiro knew that he'd never told Kuro any such thing. However, it seemed so practical that he thought that Kuro should just know that he needed to spend some time admiring himself. It cheerfully drowned out the voice in his head that was screaming about how something was wrong with him.

“Shiro?” Keith opened the door when Shiro didn't move. “What are you doing?”

Oh, it was Keith. Well that was alright then. He couldn't possibly know the rule. Besides, having admirers was always a plus.

“Hey Keith, check this out.” With that, Shiro slowly flexed one more time. His muscle bulged, and he stroked it lovingly. “Feel it.”

“Shiro, are you okay?” Keith approached him and reached out to touch him.

“I've never felt better,” Shiro said. “I don’t wanna go to breakfast.”

With that, he grabbed Keith’s arm, twisted it behind his back and tossed him lightly onto the mattress. He cackled as Keith bounced.

Keith lay there stunned for a moment before he hauled himself back to his feet. “What the actual fuck? Why would you do that, Shiro?”

“I need time to check out God’s gift to man, of course,” Shiro said with a saucy wink. “You aren’t so bad yourself.”

“W-what?” Keith said.

“You heard me,” Shiro said. He leaned forward and whispered into Keith's ear. “Flaunt it.”

Keith slowly reached for the communicator on the wall without breaking eye contact with Shiro. He pushed it. “Coran?”

“Keith my boy, have you found Shiro?”

“Yes, but he's acting really weird,” Keith said. He scratched his arm where Shiro had grabbed him. “I think we might need to get him to a-”

Shiro lunged forward and clapped his hand over Keith's mouth. Heedless of Keith's struggles he said, “Ah, ah, ah. No telling on me to Coran. You're being very naughty, but as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. We're all fine. Life is fine.”

Unable to help himself, he broke into a fit of giggles. “Keith's fine.”

“If you could stay right there, Shiro, that would be lovely,” Coran said. Shiro had forgotten to mute the speaker. Oops. “I won't be but a moment.”

“You'll have to catch me first!” Shiro put his fist through the communicator for good measure before running out of the room laughing. Behind him, Keith scratched at his face.

“Attention, everyone!” Coran's voice echoed through the hall. “Shiro's gone mad! We must apprehend him at once!”

“You'll never take me alive!” Shiro yelled at the voice in the ceiling. He shook his fist at it too for good measure. “I know where you live!”

He stopped running when he got far enough down the hall that he couldn't see Keith anymore. Now, where would Kuro be at this time in the morning? He tapped the fingers of his flesh hand to his chin and pondered before shrugging. Shiro had no idea, but he figured he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

“Hey, Pidge,” he said as he passed the girl going the other way in the hall.

“Shiro?”

“No. You may address me as the great Takashi: Hero of the free people,” Shiro declared. He flexed again for good measure and gave her his most dashing smile.

“Shiro,” she said dryly. “Why don't you come with me?”

“No, I Takashi: Hero of the free people do not need to answer to short people,” Shiro said.

“Where are you going?” Pidge said. He stared at her expectantly. ".. Takashi: Hero of the free people?"

“Why, the training room of course,” Shiro declared forgetting his own rule about talking to short people. “I need to keep up my heroing after all.”

He strolled away and ignored the fact that Pidge was speaking rapidly into her communicator. “I think Shiro- ”

Finally, he made his way to the training room. Shiro was proud of himself. He only got lost twice.

“Kuro?” he said. He walked into the training room and was immediately stopped by the scene in front of him. Kuro was sparring with the gladiator, if you could call it that and losing quite badly. In fact, he wasn't even trying at all! Kuro sniffled as the gladiator hit him again and no, this wouldn't do. Not when Shiro the Hero was in town.

“Have no fear!” Shiro yelled. “Takashi: Hero of the free people is here!”

With that, he abandoned all knowledge of fighting because obviously a hero should only fight through his grit and determination. He took off at a dead run and jumped on the back of the gladiator. It reached up and tried to claw at him.

“Now, Kuro!” he said. “Hit 'em where it hurts.”

“What's the point?” Kuro sobbed. “It will just come back again and again and again.”

“No, it won't,” Shiro frowned, though he was more concerned about why Kuro was crying. “Why are you sad?”

Kuro didn't bother answering him. Shiro decided that his fighting abilities would be needed anyway and punched the gladiator through the back of its head. It disappeared in a cloud of pixels and Shiro hit the floor butt first.

“Ow,” he said. “Gravity, you absolute bitch.”

“I'm only a clone! A copy! How can I be said to be anyone?” Kuro wailed. He tried to grab fistfuls of his hair, but it was too short, so his hands began to scrabble uselessly at his scalp. “I don't even know what being a person is like!”

“Kuro. Kuro,” Shiro said. He was trying not to giggle again because this was important, but a few escaped anyway. He walked over and sat down beside him. “You are people. Many people even.”

“I am?” Kuro said.

“Yes,” Shiro said. “It's why I love you. You're people.”

He pulled Kuro into his arms and planted a kiss on Kuro's cheek for good measure. Kuro stopped crying for a moment and just started at Shiro. Shiro could see his reflection in Kuro's eyes.

“Ew razor burn,” Kuro eventually mumbled. He was hiccuping again and Shiro squeezed him as tightly as possible. “Too tight, Takashi.”

“I know what will cheer you up!” Shiro was so excited that he actually let go of Kuro to clap.

“Nothing will cure my existential void except hookers and cannibalism,” Kuro said sadly.

“You wouldn't have to pay with me,” Shiro said. He pressed closer and nuzzled Kuro's neck. “I'll gladly fill that void for free. Here, take a bite.”

He held out his arm and waited patiently. Kuro sniffled and Shiro could see glimpses of his fangs, which were a little sharper than Shiro's. He resisted the urge to lick them. “You don't have Galra blood though. I have to eat Keith!”

Shiro pondered. “I wonder if we could set a trap for him. We could steal his knife. Or his Lance.”

Kuro was worrying at the skin on his flesh arm and pinching it with his Galra one. He reached up and tried to bite into his arm. Shiro grabbed Kuro's forearm. “No! We have Keith for that. You don't need to eat yourself.”

“But I gotta,” Kuro said. He tried again.

“No!” Shiro shouted. He pinned Kuro down to stop him, and Kuro thrashed and growled and started worrying the inside of his lip. He bit down and his lip began to bleed. “No! No! No!”

There was some giggling in the corner. Keith and Lance were there. Lance was leaning on Keith and laughing extremely hard even as Keith buried his face into Lance's hair. “It's okay, pretty,” Lance said. “Lancey Lance is here.”

He patted Keith's hair with a grin. Keith shook his head and burrowed closer.

“Keith!” Shiro said. “Come over here so Kuro can eat you. He won't eat me and I like you best so it's gotta be you.”

Keith shook his head frantically and pushed himself back into Lance. “No!”

“But you gotta,” Shiro said. He tried to stand up, but fell over. When did the floor start moving? He held on so that he wouldn't fall through it. Lance laughed all the harder.

Lance walked over to him and crouched down. “I was supposed to shoot you, you know. I'm going to,” he said conspiratorially. He frowned. “I still kinda wanna though.”

He pulled his bayard from the pocket of his jacket and it slowly extended into a sniper rifle.

“Hmm compensating for something?” Shiro said cackling.

Lance's eyes narrowed. “Now I really wanna,” he said. He took a moment to move the setting from the stun to kill.

“Rude,” Shiro said. He activated his Galra hand and it glowed, though he couldn't do much. He was still holding onto the floor.

“Say your prayers,” Lance said. He raised the rifle and pointed it at Shiro. Keith pushed himself even closer to Lance knocking him off balance. “Keith! Stop that. We can cuddle after I finish killing him.”

“Ha I've been an atheist since I met the Galra,” Shiro said. “No God would allow what I've been through.”

His vision blurred and when did he start crying? He reached up to wipe his eyes and yelped as he hit himself in the face. Kuro crawled over to him and wiped Shiro's eyes for him.

“See? This is why you should let him eat you, Keith” he sniffled. “He's so awesome.”

A familiar whip wrapped around Lance and he yelped as he was electrocuted. He dropped his rifle and it skittered to the floor resuming its inactive shape. He slumped to the floor and Allura slung him over her back with gloved fingers. She was in her paladin armour. Behind her, Pidge zapped Keith and then tased Kuro too for good measure. Shiro was stunned and his vision blurred as Hunk hauled him onto his back. His head lolled, the room spun, and he finally blacked out.

*

The first thing Shiro was aware of was a pounding headache. He let out a groan and opened his eyes to Allura's concerned face. He tried to move and- huh. He was strapped to a gurney. Shiro glanced around and saw Lance, Keith and Kuro all sprawled out on gurneys of their own. Keith and Kuro in particular looked extremely pale.

“What happened?” he said.

“How much do you remember from yesterday?” Allura asked.

“Nothing. It's all one big blur,” he said. Then it all came back at once. His blood ran cold. “Wait a minute, I remember- No, that can't be right.”

“If you're referring to the incident in the training room, that was quite real,” Allura said. “You were infected with a compound that induced a sort of psychosis that appears to spread through touch. It took us quite a while to locate the source in your bloodstream and not before it spread to some of the others. It wasn't something that was picked up by our scanners or the healing pods. We think it's the same thing that led to the death of everyone on Zeta 9.”

Shiro frowned. That would explain the gurneys then. “How long was I out? Is everyone okay?”

Allura folded her hands on her lap. “You were out for a little over a day. Everyone is fine, but the compound seemed to hit those with Galra blood harder and faster than those without. Kuro and Keith won't wake up for another day, however Lance should be waking up quite soon.”

Shiro sat up and tried to stagger to his feet, intent on at least checking on the others. The room spun and Allura pushed him back down. “Shiro, you need to rest. The compound won't be fully out of your system for another few vargas or so.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Shiro mumbled. His voice was slurring, and he fell asleep again quite against his will.

*

Shiro woke up for real this time with a far clearer head.

“Back in the land of the living, are you?” Coran said. He'd replaced Allura at some point while Shiro was still sleeping.

“It seems like it. Thank you, Coran,” Shiro said.

He slowly sat up with Coran's help, taking note of the leftover aches and pains that lingered in his body. A flash of memory came back to him and with it his cheeks heated up. He groaned and put his head in his hands.

“Is everything alright, my boy?”

“I just said some things to Kuro that I shouldn't have,” Shiro said. His voice was muffled.

“I'm sure that he'll forgive you, Shiro,” Coran said. “These were rather extenuating circumstances after all.”

“I more hope that he doesn't remember,” Shiro said. “It would be difficult to explain.”

Coran clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically. “Are you ready to try standing up?”

Shiro nodded and slowly stood up again with Coran's help. This time, he was able to stand. “Thank you, Coran.”

Keith was closest, so he stopped and took a look at him first. “Has he woken up at all?”

Coran shook his head. “Only you and Lance have woken up. There hasn't been a peep from Keith or Kuro, though the scans I have done do indicate that they'll wake up before the end of the day. It seems it was harder on anyone with Galra blood in them."

Shiro walked over to where Keith still lay. He looked better than he had in the hazy memories that Shiro had of the night before. He put his hand on his forehead. Keith didn't stir. He went over and did the same to Kuro who groaned and leaned into the touch. Shiro snatched his hand away as if it had been burnt.

“Takashi?” he opened his eyes.

“Hey."

Kuro smiled up at him and closed his eyes. Shiro took that moment to make his escape.

*

“Hey Shiro,” Kuro said. Shiro jumped. He'd been so deep in thought, that he hadn't even heard Kuro approach.

“Hey. Feeling better?” he asked and gestured to the empty seat beside him. Kuro walked over to the bench and sat down. He was close enough that Shiro could feel the heat radiating off of him and Shiro was caught between the urge to tense up because of the upcoming conversation or to relax in Kuro's presence.

“Much better.” Kuro didn't say anything further and they watched the passing stars in silence. Slowly, Shiro began to relax.

“A drunk mind speaks a sober heart,” Kuro said suddenly. Shiro tensed. “Did you mean it?”

“I also offered to feed Keith to you,” Shiro said. “Neither of us were in our right minds.”

“And you're trying to avoid answering me,” Kuro said dryly. “Did you mean it?”

"Well, did you?" Shiro said. He turned and faced Kuro fully.

"What do you mean?" Kuro avoided meeting his eyes.

"Do you think you're just a copy of me?" 

Kuro sighed and drew a knee to his chest. "I am literally a copy of you, Shiro. Haggar designed me to replace you. Doesn't that bug you at all?"

"But you're not though. And it did bug me in the beginning. However, something has become clear the more I get to know you," Shiro said. "You're not exactly the same. If you were, I wouldn't- perhaps this isn't the time."

"I don't know if it ever will be then," Kuro sighed and turned to face Shiro. “Considering that I am asking, you could guess that it matters to me. I deserve an answer, Shiro”

Shiro tensed his jaw and turned away. They'd been dancing around this … thing between them for months now. Before Kuro, the only one he'd really let his walls down around was Keith and even then, he'd always held back at least a little. But he didn't around Kuro. He didn't have to put on airs. He didn't have to take on the role of big brother or leader. He could just be Shiro.

He tightened his grip on the bench underneath him. The weight of Kuro's silence was almost unbearable. Shiro looked up and met his gaze. Kuro's face was soft and open and it made it easier for Shiro to swallow around the lump in his throat. He didn't want to ruin what they had, but Kuro did deserve an answer.

“I did,” Shiro was startled at the scratch in his own voice. “I don't know how it happened, but I really like you, Kuro. You make things better.”

“Shiro-”

“And I know that to expect you to return those feelings would be selfish of me. You've told me before that you need more companionship because you're part Galra. I don't begrudge you that and you don't have to take my feelings into account,” Shiro said.

“What if I want to?” Kuro leaned close enough to Shiro that their foreheads were almost touching. “I'm not an idiot, Shiro, but you certainly are. I have most of your memories, remember? I know exactly what we've been doing means.”

“You mean-”

“I like you too, you idiot,” Kuro said. “I'm honestly surprised that you haven't noticed before now.”

Shiro felt his cheeks catch fire and his heart swelled. Kuro's forehead touched his and he found himself looking straight into Kuro's eyes. And all of a sudden he couldn't stop thinking about how plush Kuro's lips were. He gave in to one last impulse and Kuro closed his eyes as Shiro brushed his fingers against them. They were even softer than they looked and Shiro couldn't help himself.

He kissed him.

~fin

  


  


**Author's Note:**

> Come yell about Voltron with me on my new [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)


End file.
